Oglethorpe County Elementary School

The monks walk through Oglethorpe County on Sunday afternoon. (Photo/Steven Colquitt)

The monks walk through Oglethorpe County on Sunday afternoon. (Photo/Steven Colquitt)

Monks walk for peace

Grace Burnett
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Wingate Downs received a surprise call Saturday from the group of Buddhist monks walking from Texas to Washington. They needed a place to stay that night after traveling from Oconee County. He jumped at the chance.
Katie Edwards, a counselor at Oglethorpe County Elementary School, helps third-grader Londyn Wilson with a work- sheet during a guidance lesson last month. The lessons are regularly held to guide students' empathy, emotion regulation, perseverance and more. (Navya Shukla/For The Oglethorpe Echo)

Katie Edwards, a counselor at Oglethorpe County Elementary School, helps third-grader Londyn Wilson with a work- sheet during a guidance lesson last month. The lessons are regularly held to guide students' empathy, emotion regulation, perseverance and more. (Navya Shukla/For The Oglethorpe Echo)

High need, low accessibility: Oglethorpe County residents face barriers to mental health care, even as teens and schools are willing to have the conversation

Navya Shukla and Sydney Rainwater
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Sonja Thompson Roach remembers the moment last year when a photographer took photos and interviewed her son and his friends for a Time magazine story on mental health and teens.
The 2023-2024 teachers of the year (from left): Shonda Cronic, OCPS kindergarten; Lindsay Gregory, OCES gifted third-fifth grade teacher; Janet High, OCMS English teacher; Lee Jones, OCHS band director.

The 2023-2024 teachers of the year (from left): Shonda Cronic, OCPS kindergarten; Lindsay Gregory, OCES gifted third-fifth grade teacher; Janet High, OCMS English teacher; Lee Jones, OCHS band director.

Teachers of the year inspired by students, community

Caleb Baldwin
Thursday, October 12, 2023
The Oglethorpe County School System teachers of the year were honored by the Board of Education at its meeting last week. The teachers shared their motivation and inspiration with The Oglethorpe Echo. Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
ohn Lutz’s art room was turned into a crime scene for Rock Your School day. The class used their art skills to color suspects and use confidential files to identify the criminal. (Photo/Caleb Baldwin)

ohn Lutz’s art room was turned into a crime scene for Rock Your School day. The class used their art skills to color suspects and use confidential files to identify the criminal. (Photo/Caleb Baldwin)

Rock Your School Day

Caleb Baldwin
Thursday, October 5, 2023
The Oglethorpe County Primary and Elementary Schools hosted an event called Rock Your School Day last Friday. The purpose was to creatively make school unique for the day with themes and experiences, while still educating the children.
OC new teachers

OC new teachers

New teachers look forward to opportunity

Caleb Baldwin
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Oglethorpe County schools introduced 26 new teachers and staff members this year. Four of them discussed their strategies and personal goals for this year with The Oglethorpe Echo.   These answers have been edited for content and clarity.
Wade King, an education leader from Get Your Teach On, was one of the keynote speakers at the personal development event at Oglethorpe County Elementary School on Oct. 7. He and his wife, Hope King, worked with teachers on how to create engaging classrooms. (Photo/Megan Fitzgerald)

Wade King, an education leader from Get Your Teach On, was one of the keynote speakers at the personal development event at Oglethorpe County Elementary School on Oct. 7. He and his wife, Hope King, worked with teachers on how to create engaging classrooms. (Photo/Megan Fitzgerald)

Learning event at OCES focused on engagement

Megan Fitzgerald
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Swapping muted professional clothing for spunky ’90s fashion, Oglethorpe County teachers became students at a professional learning event on Oct. 7.

New school plans are in the works

Sarah Evans
Thursday, August 18, 2022
The Oglethorpe County School System met with an architect this week to begin to plan the new elementary school that will serve students in kindergarten through fifth grade.    The district’s goal is to complete the school by the start of the 2024 school year.
Members of the fifth-grade class at Oglethorpe County Elementary School graduated from the inaugural C.H.A.M.P.S. program. (Photo/Caitlin Farmer)

Members of the fifth-grade class at Oglethorpe County Elementary School graduated from the inaugural C.H.A.M.P.S. program. (Photo/Caitlin Farmer)

First C.H.A.M.P.S. class graduates at OCES

Caitlin Farmer
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Fifth-grade students at Oglethorpe County Elementary School graduated from the county’s first year of the Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety course on Monday morning.